S moke S ignals
june 1, 2014
High-level farewells
Tribal General Manager Mark Johnston and Tribal Finance Of-
ficer Julio Martinez recently resigned their positions with the Tribe.
A farewell party was held for both of them at the Tribal Community
Center on Thursday, May 15, during which Tribal Elder Val Grout
said the invocation.
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Council member June Sherer, left, and Tribal Council Chair
Reyn Leno, right, gifted Johnston a Pendleton blanket during the
farewell party. He began working for the Tribe in 2007 as the Tribe’s
executive director of Health Services. He has accepted a new job as
the assistant executive director of the Coquille Indian Tribe to be
closer to his family in southern Oregon. His last day in Grand Ronde
was Friday, May 23.
ATTENTION TRIBAL
MEMBERS WITH CONTRACT
HEALTH SERVICES
As most of you are aware, Contract Health Services (CHS) is a
federally funded program and a payor of last resort. With all of the
health care changes recently, we would like to take a minute to re-
mind you that ANY alternate resource you have needs to be utilized
correctly. That means in order for CHS to cover a “patient responsibil-
ity,” you must use providers who are in-network with whatever health
care coverage you have primary, including the Tribal Health Assis-
tance Program, Skookum. If you choose not to use providers who
are in-network or receive services that are not covered, you will be
responsible for any patient balance. Services include: Medical, Dental
and Behavioral Health. We apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause you, but to keep serving our Tribal community, we must ex-
haust all other resources available to our membership.
CHS also wants to remind you that there are some services that are
not covered by CHS, but are covered by Skookum. If you choose to
receive these services, you will be responsible for paying the co-pay-
ments. They are as follows: Chiropractic care, Naturopathic care,
Massage and Acupuncture, as well as outpatient drug and alcohol
treatment. This does not mean that you cannot use those services; it
simply means that CHS will not be responsible for any patient bal-
ances. You can still keep those appointments; you just need to pay
whatever your co-pay is. We understand that this can all be a little
confusing, so please feel free to give us a call if you have ANY ques-
tions and we’ll be happy to help.
• Tauni McCammon, 503-879-1406
• Erica Mercier, 503-879-2080
• Melody Baker, 503-879-2011
• Tresa (Teri) Mercier, 503-879-2008
Lewis to speak at dinner
Tribal Council member June Sherer, left, and Tribal Council Chair
Reyn Leno, right, gift Martinez a Pendleton blanket during the
farewell party. He started with the Tribe in 2011 and resigned to take
a job back in Florida. His last day with the Tribe was Friday, May 1.
Chris Leno has been named interim general manager and he will
be assisted in the General Manager’s Office by Tribal Planner Rick
George and Executive Coordinator to Tribal Council Stacia Martin as
Tribal Council looks for replacements.
TЭnas
Intervention
Services to be provided to babies &
moms-to-be:
Checkups
Cleanings, if applicable
Injection-free fillings, if needed and
appropriate
Cavity prevention treatment
Age-appropriate goodie bags
Raffle ticket for one of two blankets
to be raffled every six months
Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde
Dental Clinic
Pregnant women
and babies under 2
Tribal members: pregnant women or
0-2 year olds (teeth or no teeth!)
who come in for a scheduled dental
checkup or other appointment will
be entered in a
raffle for a baby
Pendleton
Blanket!
To schedule call:
503-879-2020
Tribal Historian David Lewis will be one of the featured speakers at “An
Evening With Wisdom,” a fundraising dinner for Native American non-
profit Wisdom of the Elders, at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 20, at the Melody
Ballroom, 614 S.E. Alder St., Portland.
Lewis, who also is the current chair of the Oregon Heritage Commission,
will speak about the Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center, which
will provide a forum to assist with the “transition of knowledge” as Tribal
Elders pass on their culture to younger members of the Tribe.
Tickets to the dinner are $50 and available at www.brownpapertickets.
com.
Portland-based Wisdom of the Elders works to preserve Native culture
and livelihood through an array of projects, from multimedia oral histories
and storytelling to climate change media and programs for youth.
For more information about the dinner, contact Carma Corcoran at
corcorancarma@gmail.com or by calling 503-575-6328.
For more information about Wisdom of the Elders, visit www.wisdo-
moftheelders.org. n